Amazon: No, we’re not opening physical stores

Don’t expect Amazon to be jumping on the pop-up store bandwagon this holiday season.

Just after the Seattle retailer posted its third quarter financial results — which included a $274 million quarterly loss — CFO Tom Szkutak went on a conference call to take questions.

When asked about the potential of Amazon pop-up stores, Szkutak said while the company is happy to sell Kindles in physical stores owned by other retailers, the brick-and-mortar style is “not really a driver of our business.”

Microsoft, on the other hand, will be opening more than 30 pop-up stores for the 2012 holiday season, in addition to its permanent retail chain.

However, Amazon is ramping up its e-commerce fulfillment capacity. Amazon has announced 19 new distribution centers worldwide this year, opening in time for the holiday shopping rush. The company announced earlier this month that it’s hiring more than 50,000 seasonal workers at its U.S distribution centers.

Asked about preparation for the holiday season, Szkutak said that the company “feels good about our inventory,” and that Amazon will continue to increase stock throughout the fourth quarter.

Taylor Soper is a GeekWire staff reporter who covers a wide variety of tech assignments, including emerging startups in Seattle and Portland, the sharing economy and the intersection of technology and sports. Follow him @taylor_soper and email taylor@geekwire.com.